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Patrick L. Ryan

Pat Ryan is a member of FordHarrison's wage and hour practice group and concentrates his practice on class action litigation, arbitration, counseling, and government investigations.

Pat has extensive experience in handling litigation brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and state wage and hour laws and regulations. He has litigated a wide-array of employment matters, from single plaintiff actions to nationwide class and collective action cases with more than 1,800 opt-in plaintiffs. Pat also represents employers in wage and hour investigations brought by the U.S. Department of Labor, including conducting internal investigations, defending "on-site" visits, and advising clients on effective resolution.

Additionally, Pat advises employers to ensure proactive compliance with federal and state law. He has conducted numerous wage and hour audits, including exemption, independent contractor, pay practice and time keeping reviews, for clients in various industries—such as technology, retail, hospitality, manufacturing, education, construction, and healthcare.

Pat also routinely handles other issues confronting employers, such as advising clients on background check policies under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and applicable state law, as well as defending employers against discrimination and retaliation claims brought under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

During law school, Pat interned at the U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of Georgia and was an Editorial Board member of The Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law. Pat was selected as a member of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity’s 2018 class of Fellows. He is licensed to practice law in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina.

Representative Experience

Successfully defended clients, including clients in the technology and agriculture industries, from government investigations from the U.S. Department of Labor and state agencies—including determinations of no liability;